Tray for children s chairs



(No Modl.)

R. L. BENT.

TRAY FOR GHILDRENS CHAIRS.

No. 256,272. Patented Apr. 11,1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RODERIC L. BENT, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRAY 'FOR'CHILD'RENS CHAIRS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,272, dated April 11, 1882.

Application filed March 14, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom at may concern Be it known that I, ItODERIO L. BENT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gardner, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trays for (Jhildrens Chairs, and I do hereby declare that the same are fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawlugs.

This improvement relates to that class of childrens chairs which are 'provided with a temporary tray or shelf, crossing from arm to arm in front of the seat, serving to prevent the child from falling out, and also to support toys, food, or other articles.

My inventionis in the nature of an improve- Inent upon the chair patented by me August 5,1879,N0. 218,108, said improvement consisting in a tray having a fixed and a pivoted projecting bar provided with pins to enter sockets beneath the arms of the chair, or with sockets arranged to receive pins similarly located, and a locking-piece to secure the pivoted bar. In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view, showing the tray attached. Fig. 2 is a plan of the under side of the tray or shelf.

A is the tray, having along its upper outer margin a raised rim, B,formed integral therewith.

O is a rigid bar, and D a pivoted bar, both secured to the under side of the tray and projecting from its corners. Each of these bars, as shown, has a short pin, E, arranged to enter a socket, F, just beneath the chair-arm G, so that the bars 0 and D may fit snugly underneath the chair-arms, and the tray be thus firmly supported by the pins.

It is obvious that the pins may be attached to the chair, and that sockets may be formed in the bars 0 and D to receive such pins, with like results, the two arrangements being equivalent.

Various devices may be employed to act 5 upon the pivoted bar to retain it in position for use of the tray and to permit the disengagement of the pins and sockets. One of the most convenient is illustrated in Fig. 2. A cam-shaped button, I, is secured to the bottom of the tray by a screw at apoint near the end of the pivoted bar D. When the parts are in the position shown in full lines the bar D will be swung on its pivot J, so as to hold the pins E in their sockets F; but when turned to the position indicated in dotted lines the bars may be readily disengaged and the tray removed.

It is desirable to place the locking-piece so that the child will not accidentally disengage the tray, and so that an adult can conveniently attach and detach it. The device shown in the drawings meets both these requirements, and secures the tray to both arms in front of the seat S and closely to the spindles H without notching the body or rim of the tray.

I claim as my improvement in childrens chairsg 1. In combination with a chair having seat S, arms G, and spindles H, a removable tray or shelf having two horizontally-projecting bars, onefixed and one pivoted to said tray on a vertical axis, and both adapted to engage with the chair by means of pins and sockets, as described, and to be held in engagement by a locking device, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a childs chair, of the tray A, bars 0 D, pins E, arm G, spindles H, having sockets I and locking-piece I, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RODERIO L. BENT.

Witnesses:

AMBROSE STEVENS, S. W. A. STEVENS. 

